Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Cambodia in brief: October 19, 2016

Singapore’s data mirrors UN’s in Cambodia’s sand export numbers
Singaporean customs data on sand imports from Cambodia show near identical figures to those recorded by the UN, which last month were dismissed by a top official amid a reporting discrepancy in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Still falling short of Paris pact, say NGOs
In the run-up to this weekend’s 25th anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords, 50 NGOs yesterday said the government has yet to fully comply with tenets of the historic pact, as evidenced by continuing human rights violations, a biased judiciary and questions over free and fair elections.

Sub-decree could back evicted villagers’ claims
A little-publicized sub-decree signed in July and discovered by the Post yesterday in an NGO database raises questions as to whether the eviction on Saturday of six ethnic Kuoy families in Preah Vihear was in contravention of an order by Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Officials struggling to fix dam as floods continue
The homes of 230 families in Phnom Penh’s southwest have now been evacuated due to flooding, an official said yesterday, as authorities worked to stem flooding caused by a leak in the Prek Thnout dam that threatens to send yet more water into the capital.

Repo auction offers quick liquidity fix
The National Bank of Cambodia rolled out a new mechanism yesterday that offers immediate liquidity to financial institutions to cover their payments and reserve obligations, while giving the central bank greater control over the country’s money supply and moving toward the establishment of a benchmark interest rate.

Expert says Vietnam tried, failed to control Khmer Rouge
Expert witness Stephen Morris took the stand yesterday to testify on the subject of Vietnam’s 1979 in-vasion of Cambodia, arguing that Vietnam desired to control the communist movements in Laos and Cambodia.

Local distiller ready for infusion of funds
Samai Distillery, Cambodia’s first and only rum producer, is close to securing upwards of $1 million from foreign investors to expand its business operations and production capacity, a move that could see its products sold internationally, the company said.

Asian Development Bank announces $45M loan for secondary education
The Asian Development Bank has approved a $45 million loan for Cambodia to overhaul its upper secondary education in order to address the increased demand for skilled workers.

Gov’t to extend program
The Cambodian government and Better Factories Cambodia (BFC) will extend the 15-year-old labour compliance program to 2019, with industry experts saying it was time for the government to increase its own monitoring of the sector.

Rally planned No approval yet for CNRP gathering
The Cambodia National Rescue Party says it expects thousands of people to attend a ceremony at Freedom Park on Sunday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Paris Peace Agreement, though City Hall says it has yet to approve the event.

Festival prep City trucking in toilets for Water Fest
Phnom Penh’s Municipal authorities plan to deploy an arsenal of portable toilets for the influx of people attending November’s Water Festival, municipal officials said yesterday. The festival was cancelled four times in the past five years for a litany of reasons, but appears set to move forward in 2016.

Bust at airport in SR nets 1.4kg of cocaine
More than a kilogram of cocaine was seized at the Siem Reap airport on Monday evening as the result of intelligence sharing between police forces on multiple continents, provincial police said yesterday.

Ministry to set up more elderly support groups
Minister of Social Affairs Vong Soth yesterday announced that the ministry plans to expand the number of Older People’s Associations (OPAs) – a sort of elderly support group – by nearly 400 to meet the needs of the senior citizens in the country.

Three sentenced for chaining, raping girl
Three people were sentenced to up to three and a half years in prison at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday after being arrested last August in connection with the confinement, chaining and rape of a 13-year-old girl in the capital’s Russey Keo district.

Wedded by force, together by choice
In 1978, Khen Sothyra and Seng Samoeurn were forced to marry in a mass ceremony with 179 other couples. It was during the last months of the Khmer Rouge regime, and the incentive to wed was simple: those who refused risked being killed.

Boeung Kak activists quizzed over Wat Phnom attack
Two Boeung Kak lake activists were questioned by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday in relation to a 2013 attack by unidentified assailants on community members at the capital’s Wat Phnom.

Jailed opposition activists allegedly rebuff Rainsy offer
CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann said yesterday that opposition leader Sam Rainsy wanted to return to Cambodia to be jailed in place of 15 of his party’s activists and officials, but that those prisoners had rebuffed the offer and told Rainsy to remain overseas.

Sihanoukville casino gambled with an expired licence
Preah Sihanouk provincial authorities have ordered a casino that operated in Sihanoukville shut down after it failed to renew its operating licence, local media reported yesterday.

Emerald infill assays confirm gold at Okvau
Australian mining company Emerald Resources has found “encouraging” results from a round of infill drilling at its Okvau gold project in Mondulkiri province, the company said in a filing to the ASX yesterday.


Flag carrier to expand fleet with two dry-leased A320s
Cambodia Angkor Air, the Kingdom’s flag carrier, inked an agreement with Singapore-based aircraft leasing company BOC Aviation Ltd yesterday to dry lease two Airbus A320s, with the new planes scheduled for delivery by the end of the year.

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